Aberdeenshire chosen as one of six areas to pilot UK’s fastest broadband

The first stage of a £200m scheme to help bring the UK’s fastest and most reliable broadband to businesses, schools and hospitals has begun with the launch of six local pilots which includes Aberdeenshire.

The projects will get around £10m to test innovative ways of connecting offices and public sector buildings with the next generation of broadband – full fibre networks that run fibre connections straight to the doors of customers’ homes or businesses.

They will go ahead in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol, Bath & North East Somerset, West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.

businesses to reach ever more customers online, increasing transactions by uploading even the largest files quickly and easily;

school classrooms to see a vast increase the number of pupils who can stream educational videos at the same time.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Jones said: “How we live and work today is directly affected by how good our broadband connection is. Reliable connections enable new industries to flourish, help create jobs and give people flexibility in how and where they work.

“For our economy to thrive, it is vital we make smart investments to ensure our digital infrastructure is world class and fit for the future. Full fibre connections are the gold standard and we are proud to announce today the next step to get Britain better connected.”

Minister of State for Digital, Matt Hancock MP, added: “We want to see more commercial investment in the gold standard connectivity that full fibre provides, and these innovative pilots will help create the right environment for this to happen.

“To keep Britain as the digital world leader that it is, we need to have the right infrastructure in place to allow us to keep up with the rapid advances in technology now and in the future.”